Releasable actuators of many kinds have been used to selectively hold parts together. Such actuators may range from very simple to more complex designs and may have many different release mechanisms. Given the wide variance in design and materials that have been employed, it will be appreciated that there is a corresponding wide variance in the costs, reliability characteristics, and performance characteristics of such devices. However, for certain operating environments, reliability and performance cannot be sacrificed.
For example, submerged applications and/or flight applications (including space flight) may place actuators in critical situations where the cost of failure can be quite high, and the environment can also be quite inhospitable. Instrumentation, satellite payloads, and other equipment that may employ or be used in connection with such actuators may need to be reliably operable, but also operate without introducing significant shock. At the same time, simplicity of design and part economy may also be important. However, production of an actuator balancing all of the design factors mentioned above has been a significant challenge.